1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates an on-line and/or wireless system and method for facilitating the arrangement of networking meetings between two or more individuals. More specifically, the invention relates to providing a system and method for allowing communications between two or more parties relating to the scheduling and arrangement of a meeting between the two or more parties.
2. Description of the Related Art
Several publications are referenced in this application. The references describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains and are hereby incorporated by reference.
Today's worker often finds him or herself with more to do, with less time. The pressures of work, family, social obligations and time for leisure activities combine to transform the average individual's daily or weekly schedule into one which is overloaded with commitments. Yet for some individuals, particularly business travelers, there are periods of time when one finds oneself with time to fill—“down time”. For example, the business traveler often shuttles from city to city for meetings and the like. When the meetings in a particular city are over and/or delays caused by travel disruptions, the business traveler often finds himself or herself with a considerable amount of free time before the next meeting or the next leg of the business trip. There may be an evening during a business trip or morning where the individual has a block of time for relaxing, catching up on work, etc. Although these periods are sometimes a welcome breather from the daily grind, they can typically seem like lost opportunities or wasted time. If “catching up” on the work doesn't require much time, the business traveler may find an entire evening free of obligations in a city far from home. Currently, this time may be spent eating a dinner alone in the hotel's restaurant, eating alone in the room using room service or other solitary activities.
Today, there is a heightened awareness of the value of time and the importance of utilizing one's time efficiently to maximize one's professional and personal endeavors. It would be desirable to provide a service for such individuals which enables them to better utilize “down time” in a highly constructive manner.
Although there are products and services such as television, movies, etc. which provide a form of entertainment during “down time”, these products and services do not necessarily provide the individual with the human interaction with others that can make an evening or other period of time rewarding in both the professional and personal sense.
Although not geared to the business traveler or to optimizing “down time”, dating services are gaining popularity as more and more people do not have the time or opportunity to meet potential dates. Many individuals who have been displaced from a network of family and/or friends sometimes find themselves bored with the “bar scene” and have not had much luck with “blind dates.” There are several existing computer-based methods and systems directed to providing dating services. Initially, most dating services were provided by mail or over the telephone where participants would input their personal characteristics (e.g., gender, sexual orientation, age, geographic location, etc.) and their preferences for a date (e.g., gender, age, etc.). As the use of the Internet has become more popular, many systems and methods were developed for providing dating services on-line.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,951 to Collins relates to a computer-implemented dating service, and more particularly, to a method, system and apparatus for real-time, on-line computer searching and matching of database entries based on location and user-selectable search criteria. The system provides user-controlled perusal of the on-line dating search results. A database of subscriber information is searched to find at least one subscriber matching user search criteria. The subscriber information includes preferences of subscribers to the service. Both the personal preferences and the subscriber information include at least: a gender preference; a geographic location preference; a geographic location preference; an age preference; appearance preferences; religious belief preferences; educational level preferences; and a goal preference, wherein the goal preference is one of “romance”; “friendship” or “a walk on the wild side”, wherein the geographic location preference is at least one of a postal code, a country, a city, a suburb, a block, or a street. The subscriber information includes a date of last payment of a use fee by each subscriber and a date of last updating of a personal profile by each subscriber. First the system locates, from the database, all valid subscribers whose gender preferences matches the required gender preference and who are located “nearby” the given postal (zip) code. Then, for each subscriber found in the first step, the system also retrieves the user's system information such as user name, phone number and geographic location. Next, for each subscriber retrieved (who matched the gender and geographic location criteria), the system determines a score based on the subscriber's input information, the subscriber's preferences and the user's input and preferences. The list of matching subscribers is then sorted in descending order by “score”, then in ascending order by zip code and then in descending order of last access and/or payment.
Thus, the system and method of Collins provides an on-line dating service which matches subscribers with other subscribers for possible dating. Such a system would be unsuitable for providing an on-line networking system for arranging meetings such as dinner meetings at a specified time and place. The on-line dating service of Collin would not, for example, enable an individual to better utilize “down time” which occurs as a result of a layover at a particular city on a business trip. Or for an individual at home who has just had their evening plans cancelled but would still like to meet with other individuals for dinner, a drink or the like. See also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,395 to de Honda.
Moreover, a “dating service” is not always an acceptable alternative of the individual. First, the individual may not be interested in a date in the romantic sense. Such dating services are geared to matching people together in a romantic sense. For individuals who are married, for example, the “dating services” currently offered do not offer an attractive choice for better utilizing their down time. Second, many people feel a stigma is associated with seeking and/or finding a “significant other” using a dating service. Furthermore, such services typically first match the individuals and then the individuals, if willing, communicate via email and/or telephone to learn more about each other. Such systems are not suitable for setting up a networking meeting at a particular time and place.
Finally, such services are not primarily geared to helping an individual promote oneself through “networking” with other individuals. Business “networking” has become an integral part of many professions. Individuals spend a considerable amount of time going to conferences, joining social clubs and professional associations to meet and network with other business people to further their professional aspirations. Professional conferences, although primarily planned to provide lectures and discussion roundtables, almost always include “networking” functions such as luncheons or cocktail receptions to allow participants to network with each other and “exchange business cards”. For some professionals, such as salespeople, a considerable amount of their “work” includes simply networking with other individuals in the hopes of creating business contacts and/or product/service customers.
Another good indication of the importance of “networking” are the number of social clubs offered to individuals and the amount of money individuals will pay to join such clubs. In the City of New York, there are a variety of social clubs that offer opportunities to network with other members. Such clubs include university alumni clubs such as the Yale Club or the Harvard Club and non-alumni clubs such as the New York Yacht Club and Union Club. However, not all members of such clubs join to “networking” purposes. Many join because of the fine amenities offered including dining services and overnight accommodations. A recent article illustrated the possible friction between members attempting to network with non-interested members: “The oh-so-proper Harvard Club of New York is polling members about a proposal that they wear an ‘H’ pin in their labels to signify a willingness to socialize while at the club. Seems certain members resent unsolicited efforts of others to network”. Forbes, “How about $ for Stuff”, Jan. 24, 2000.
Private social clubs have in the past provided “communal tables” in the club's dining facilities. This would allow members of the club, who are dining alone, to sit together and thereby interact. Since all those at the table were members of the same club, each shared at least some common interests. Recently, an increasing number of restaurants are offering seating at “communal tables” which allow strangers to dine together. “The Nearness of . . . Who?” by Jennifer Tung, New York Times, Feb. 20, 2000. Such tables offer diners the opportunity to dine with others rather than dine alone. However, ironically, the attractiveness of such public “communal tables”, the diversity of individuals who may participate, is also one of its drawbacks. More specifically, it is difficult to predict who will be seated next to who. Since individuals can have a wide variety of interests and backgrounds, the “communal table” does not always result in the most desirable dining experience for all those participating. Moreover, not all restaurants, in fact very few, offer such seating arrangements.
Thus, although there is a great deal of opportunities to “network”, it is sometimes difficult to determine the who's, where's and when of networking. Although some events sponsored by social clubs or associations are clearly intended for networking, and thus all participants are willing to network, the timing of such events are typically outside the control of individuals. An individual is unable, for example, to attend such an event on a particular business trip layover in Chicago. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an improved method and system for networking since, today, career advancement may rely not only on working hard and keeping abreast of the latest developments in one's field, but also professionally networking with others in a variety of business settings such as conferences and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,859 to Senda provides an information providing apparatus and system for providing registered subscribers with information required for meeting with desired people while traveling. The apparatus includes attribute/schedule storing means for storing for each subscriber, attribute data and schedule data of a subscriber, and attribute data of a person expected to meet, subscriber selecting means for selecting a specific subscriber having common attribute data and common schedule data among subscribers by reference to the attribute/schedule storing means, information accumulating means for accumulating information as to the expected person for each subscriber selected by the subscriber selecting means, and information providing means for providing subscribers via a communication network with the information accumulated by the information accumulating means. In operation, the attribute data and schedule data of a subscriber and the attribute data of an expected person are stored in advance in attribute/schedule storing means for each subscriber who expects to meet with a desired person while traveling. The subscriber selecting means selects a specific subscriber having common attribute data and common schedule data among subscribers by referring to the attribute/schedule storing means. The drawback of the system of this system is that it generates information regarding the other party who the subscriber can meet with. The system does not allow for “two-way” arranging and scheduling which would allow for a more synergistic networking. The system of Senda is analogous to the system of Collin except Senda includes “travel schedule data” in the preference information and the system generates a list of possible matches based on the attribute data of a desired person and the travel schedule data. The system fails to provide individuals with a flexible and dynamic system for networking. Although the system provides information required for meeting with a desired person while traveling, it is the system that “selects a specific subscriber having common attribute data and common schedule data among subscribers by referring to the attribute/schedule storing means”. This is disadvantageous since the parties participating in the service are “matched” by the system, rather then by themselves.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide an improved system and method which overcomes the above described disadvantages. More specifically, it would be desirable to provide a method and system which provides personalized, dynamic interactive means which allows individuals to schedule a time and place for a meeting for the purpose of business or personal networking.